swooping around life's little fancies

affordable

Springtime inspired me to purge my closet (I’ll be sharing more about that in a future post) to make more room. And guess what? I could fling open the closet door and experience a breeze of fresh air wafting out, and all without a mountain of fabric avalanching on my face. Okay, that’s a little exaggerated, but you get the gist!

And with that extra room, I wanted to do a bit of smart shopping to start off 2015, which is pretty much the following formula: shopping affordably + appropriately to the season. 599fashion wanted to help me reach my goal, and so I’m here to share with you a few items they sent over! I love how they offer so many options for clothing, accessories, lifestyle, etc… AND did you know they boast an extended line to include items for men+women+children – any creative last minute ideas for Mother’s or Father’s day, anyone? ;).

Let me show you my little haul with 599fashion.com! I’ll leave you a rundown of the details (shipping, thoughts on quality, etc) after the images. Let me know your thoughts!

item one: TASSEL EARRINGS

super cute, not too large for my ears, brand new and the little chains added a fun flair to my outfit!

whimsical, and the universal necklace. any look, and BAM. you’re done.

item five: GEOMETRIC PLATED NECKLACE

the quirky, outgoing one. free to pair with anything to add a little funk.

oh, yeah.

item six: THE SUNNIES

standard shades. cool texture.

item seven: FLUFFY SLIPPERS

need i say more?

oh, my darling!

item eight: EMBROIDERED FLORALS

my favorite shirt atm. so spring but so versatile.

that detail, though…

item nine: MICKEY GOES ABROAD

a fun, mickey-inspired shirt with the CUTEST bow formed into the shirt.

see below.

amazing.

And yeah! I hope you enjoyed that sneak peek. I’ll link a video to show me trying on all of the items in the set HERE. or here.

THOUGHTS:

SHIPPING: fast! arrived just a few days after placing the order

SERVICE: easy, and very responsive. i even received an e-mail update regarding where the package was!

SET: the amount of items offered on 599fashion.com is immense! i love that there are so many styles that are catered to, and the price point (everything $5.99 or less

AVAILABILITY (sorry, no more alliteration): things go pretty quickly due to the low price points, so the exact items that even I’m showing you may not be on the website anymore. however, there are so many products loaded, which means similar things are sure to be discovered. how you go about that is up to you! it’s the ultimate scavenger hunt 🙂

Aaaaand that’s it! I hope you enjoyed the images and found this post helpful – let me know if you have any questions and I’ll get back to you! 🙂

Howdy, folks! I feel a little cowgirl-ish today, if you know what I mean. 🙂

So, I decided to be a good girl and rummage through my closet, looking for neglected clothing that need new homes! It’s crazy how the interwebs work, as two items have already sold since I posted them yesterday – and so I thought I’d show what’s available here so y’all can take a crack at it. I love all the items listed, but you know when the time has come for them to go – even if they’re pretty much brand new -.-” If you have any questions, feel free to drop them down below, and I’ll skedaddle to answer them as quickly as possible! Simply click the first photo of the item to visit the page! 🙂

[AVAILABLE]

1.) Striped Bodycon Skirt

Price: $5.99 Auction/$7.99 Buy it now

I love how the vertical stripes slim the figure, but alas – this skirt and I have parted ways. And black/white combos are so in this spring!

Note: one of those stringy thingamajigs that’s supposed to help hang the shirt snapped off, but the other one is fine. But honestly, I don’t understand the point of putting them on shirts that can clearly hang on all by themselves. Maybe they can charge a little extra or something? The mysteries.

3.) Ruffle Halter Sheer Plaid Pattern Summer TopPrice: $7.99 Auction/$9.99 Buy it nowI also really enjoy the structured collar and form of this top. But… you know. Sometimes, you buy something, love it, and for some reason… never really wear it. The time has come for someone else to enjoy it.

4.) Forever 21 Navy Blue/Cream Tribal Shorts

Price: $11.99 Auction/$13.99 Buy it now

I really like the way these shorts fit – they’re so soft, and the pattern makes it so fun! I would pair this with a sheer blouse and maybe some cork wedges – so cute! 🙂 How would you style them?

This was actually a friend’s, and she never wore it. So she gave it to me to share with the world! I looooove the detailing here, but… I don’t fit in it haha.It’s perfect for the beach~ throw on a light cardigan and you’re good to go!

This is hands down my favorite sell! It’s SO beautiful, it literally took my breath away when I saw it. And I bought it, even though… again, I can’t fit in it. There’s this boning that made me realize someone who’s a size small is the “diamond in the rough” who can wear such a beautiful piece (did anyone catch the reference?)

Why, hello there! This past week, I volunteered to whip up four birthday cards… in half an hour. I already spent quite a bit of time perusing birthday cards in little boutiques – then realized trying to figure out which card “fit” each person’s personality (and the cost of the cards themselves) didn’t make the venture worthwhile. Making them myself sounded a lot more fun, gave me the chance to make it more personal, and didn’t take add a dime to my budget! 😉 The cards also had to provide enough writing space so many people could write sweet little messages to each person- don’t think I would have been able to find a card like that! Want to see and/or make them yourself? Have a look-see down below!

Materials you will need:

1) Some paper – I originally planned to make the cards using calligraphy paper. Why? I had a lot of it, it was a lovely texture, and it seemed cute!

2) Some string-like material.

3. Scissors. AKA some blades of doom! or just cutting. Your choice.

4. A hole-punch!

5. Decorations! Stickers, tape, more stickers, stickers, stickers. Fun :). It’s like revisiting your childhood without all the ice cream, running around in the park, playing with the slip ‘n slides in the summer… Hmm. That doesn’t sound so bad.

Do you remember being back in middle school? I do, and I distinctly recall the obligatory gift you had to make for every single possible “friend” you had. Even Valentine’s day! Or was this just some self-imposed thing? Anyway, it was cute back in elementary school.

I liked the idea until every February 13, when I frantically threw together little nicknacks the night before to show my friends (please refer to definition below) how much I cared for them. Because I did care for them! And it was fun putting them together! And… because it’s not true affection if they don’t get anything from you on that one day in the year, right? *N.A.S.S.* (Not A Serious Statement)

My middle-school definition of “friend”

Friend- (noun) someone who 1) will stick with you through thick and thin 2) is an acquaintance 3) may be someone who may become your 1) or 2) someday

*aka every person on the little blue marble called Earth*

(I think my definition back then was a bit haphazard)

So anyway, I thought I could make thinking and planning a little easier (and cheaper!) with three simple ways to make those preparations sweeter (hehe) and more enjoyable so you can reflect and be thankful for the love in your life rather than being like me back then!

Step 1: Get a variety of candies (preferably in bulk/on sale)

Step 2: Separate them into cute little sets

Step 3: Prepare all the materials!

Tissue paper? checkTwine & ribbon? checkTape? checkScissors? check.

Let’s get started!

Method #1

Step 1: Take one stacked set

Step 2: Turn it upside down in the middle of about two feet of twine

Step 3: Cross the ends over the candies like so

Step 4: Then cross the ends in an “x” shape (in this case, turn each piece clockwise 90 degrees) so that the twine is touching all four corners.

It looks like this

Step 5: Flip it over!

Step 6: Tie a bow! Secure with a double knot, if you so desire

Done!

Method #2

Step 1: Spread one sheet of tissue paper out fully and cut it in h

Step 2: Place candies in the center of one half of the tissue paper (we only need half of one sheet for this method)

Step 3: Fold the ends over and secure it with tape

Step 4: Scrunch the ends gently (don’t tear the paper!) like so and cross them

Step 5: Tie with a ribbon, and you’re done!

Done!

Method #3

Step 1: Place the set face down in the middle of the second half of tissue paper and fold over the ends. Secure.

Step 2: Scrunch both ends and make it look like an old-fashioned candy! Mmm

Step 3: Tie with ribbons on both sides, and you’re done! Too easy, right? But oh, so cute!

But our work is not yet finished! As the saying goes,

“A job half-done is… no bueno.”

(Yes, I made it up on a whim. No, it’s not a legit proverb.Possibly a variation?)

I digress from digressing.

Now, onto the cards! I chose three varieties here, just to tickle your fancy.

Prerequisite: Obtain a card (or three in my case) to give to people!

P.S. Prerequisite: Get things to decorate with!

You can choose “normal” valentine colors….

OR branch out

Or use a hodgepodge of lovely colors!

Project: Decorate! (excuse the corniness of the valentine message; make it your own!)